VIENTIANE: Asean and China have agreed to avoid any acts of violence in the South China Sea and to resolve disputes through diplomatic channels, said Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
The prime minister said Chinese Premier Li Qiang had given his assurances that any dispute between his country with the Philippines in the South China Sea would be peacefully managed according to the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
"We propose, and this has been agreed upon by all, including China, to avoid violence, use diplomatic channels, hold negotiations, and I suggest, if possible, to utilise the Asean framework together.
"Certainly, the developments involving the Philippines are concerning to us, and this has been conveyed to China, with assurances from Prime Minister Li," he said.
Anwar said this Malaysian media following the final day of the 44th and 45th Asean Summit and Related Summits here.
The prime minister was speaking about the results of the 27th Asean-China Summit, yesterday.
In August, the Philippines and China had accused each other of being at fault for a collision of coast guard ships in the South China Sea.
The collision, near the Sabina Shoal, was reportedly the fifth maritime confrontation between ships of the two nations in a month.
Anwar said the issue of the South China Sea was a much-discussed topic during the summit and Asean had emphasised that it must be governed by existing laws to ensure that each country's sovereignty is upheld.
"If there is a dispute, it must be resolved according to existing laws, including UNCLOS," he said.
On efforts to resolve the conflict in Myanmar, Anwar said that country's attendance at the summit this time around had given other member states a good opportunity to express their strong views on the matter.
"They need to be more inclusive, stop the violence and sit down with all parties so that a resolution can be found. When Myanmar communicated that it is prepared to discuss things directly with Malaysia, I asked the foreign minister (Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan) to coordinate the matter.
"Even though we are bound by the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), it is necessary for us to begin with an informal discussion at the highest levels," he said.
In 2021, Asean adopted the 5PC on Myanmar. These are: an immediate end of violence; dialogue among all parties; the appointment of a special envoy; allowing humanitarian assistance by Asean; and, allowing an Asean special envoy to visit Myanmar to meet with all parties.
Yesterday, Mohamad had announced that Malaysia would meet with Myanmar to resolve the conflict there after that nation's ruling junta had indicated a willingness to open the door for negotiations.